The City of Githyanki
by Myantek
Summary: Separated and in a strange city, the Young Ones must face a challenge of an ancient race.
1. Chapter 1: Hunting Ground

**Disclaimer: The character from Dungeons & Dragons are not mine. I'm just borrowing them.**

**My first attempt at fanfiction. Please be patient with me.**

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****The City of Githyanki**

**Chapter 1: Hunting Ground**

The red dragon flew low over the rocky landscape. His prey had fled into the maze of canyons thinking they could elude him. He knew the canyons well and knew that it would be no escape. It was his favourite hunting ground. A flash of yellow and blue caught his eye and he dove into the canyon after it, loosing a blast of fire as he did so.

"It's not my fault!" Eric panted as he reflected the dragon's fireball with his Shield.

"Sure Eric," Presto called back. "It's not like it was an _obvious_ trap."

Sheila materialised next to Bobby and his unicorn. "Maybe we could talk about this later?" she suggested.

"This way guys!" Diana yelled to them. "That dragon won't be able to follow us down this one!"

Hank looked down the crevasse Diana had suggested. It was narrower than the canyon they were following. He glanced behind him and determined that she was right; the dragon wouldn't be able to fly low through the passage like it was doing here. Though it could still see them from above. He hesitated.

"No time to waste, Fearless Leader," Eric said. He raced past Hank toward the crevasse.

"Go!" Hank ordered and turned to fire a few arrows from his Bow. The others filed past him into the narrow canyon.

Above them the dragon wheeled to avoid the golden energy arrows. If the Dungeon Master's pupils could have heard him they would think he chuckled. His hunt was proceeding to plan. Soon the tasty morsels would find themselves at a dead end in a bowl more than wide enough for him to land.

"Stay together!" Hank yelled.

Bobby and Diana had raced ahead. The Acrobat gracefully vaulted over the boulder-strewn landscape and the Barbarian cleared the way with his Club. Hank had lost sight of Sheila, who'd probably Cloaked herself, but he could see Presto running in Booby's path. The Magician clutched his Hat and muttered to himself. That left himself and the Eric bringing up the rear and falling behind.

"Stop it! You're just making him angry!" Eric told the Ranger. Hank rolled out of the way of three quick blasts from the dragon.

"Just keeping him busy. Let's go!" He grabbed Eric's arm and pulled him in the direction of the others.

Ahead, Diana had reached a fork in the canyon. "Which way?" she asked.

A fiery blast from the dragon answered her question. A wall of flame rose up in front of one of the canyon entrances. The Acrobat flipped away from the flames to follow Bobby and Uni down the unobstructed pathway.

Presto twiddled his fingers over the glowing opening of his Hat, "OK Hat, the situation's dire; give me something to protect from fire!" He reached into the Weapon and pulled out a red fireman's helmet.

"_That's_ the best you can come up with? C'mon Presto!"

"I'm not hearing any brilliant suggestions from you!" retorted the Magician.

The Cavalier began a response to Presto's taunt but was interrupted by Hank.

"Look out!" the Ranger shouted and tugged both the other boys backwards. Another fireball exploded in front of them and forced them towards the canyon the others had already entered.

"Whoa! Thanks Hank," Presto said, brushing a few embers out on his robes.

Hank gave his friend a quick smile before the three boys started running again.

"This way!" Sheila called. She'd dropped the Cloak's invisibility to motion them towards another path within the canyon.

The boys ran toward her. Hank fired another volley at the dragon. The arrows peppered the air around the beast as it dodged and weaved. The Ranger joined his friends as the last of the bolts detonated in the air.

They raced down the narrow canyon. The walls rose steeply and constricted as they went up so that the crevasse was nearly closed at the top. Hank's and Eric's shoulders scrapped along the sides and the group had to slow down as they followed the passage. Soon they were forced to inch their way through sideways with the rock pressing in on them.

"The opening's just ahead," Diana called from her position in the lead.

"It looks a lot bigger than this one," Bobby added.

Hank squeezed himself though the exit. "Oh no," he said quietly.

"Are those scorch marks?" Eric asked once he had squeezed himself free.

The group spread out in the wide bowl of the canyon. Each scanned the walls for another exit.

"It's a dead end," Eric declared.

Presto gulped, "Can you not use the "dead" word when we don't know where the dragon is?"

As if the words were an invocation the dragon dropped out of the sky behind them. It landed heavily. Small wisps of dust puffed up from its feet. It stood over the Young Ones and regarded them with a look of extreme satisfaction. Extending its long, serpentine neck, it gave a triumphant, shrill, call. Its tail lashed as it looked over the group. A forked tongue flicked out and tasted the air in front of it. Slowly a smile spread over its reptilian features and it lowered its head.

Now he was ready to finish the hunt. These children would make an excellent meal. They were strong and pure. He could taste it in the air around him. He briefly considered contacting his allies and offering at least one of them, probably the smallest one, to use as they would.

"Scatter!" Hank ordered.

Sheila scooped up Uni and pulled the Cloak over both of them. Diana extended her Javelin and assumed a defensive stance to Hank's left. Eric stood over Bobby to Hank's right while Presto retreated to the edge of the canyon.

The dragon eyed each of them, deciding whom he was going to eat first. He huffed and little puffs of smoke curled out of his nostrils. With a piercing shriek he leapt into the air again and landed in front of the cowering Magician. It would be an easy meal.

"Twiddle this and twiddle that; find a way to shut its trap!" Presto yelled over his Hat. The Weapon glowed with power and spit something out at the dragon.

"Way ta go, Presto!" Bobby enthused, "Ya muzzled him!"

The dragon was now wearing both a huge dog muzzle and a confused expression. He raised a claw to his face to remove the infernal contraption constricting his maw. What had the tiny human done?

"Bobby! Get him off balance!"

"You got it Hank!" The boy raised his Club and brought it crashing to the ground. Small boulders rolled down the walls of the canyon.

The dragon staggered in the Barbarian-generated quake. The littlest one was definitely going to be eaten next. It would be an appetiser. He then roared in pain as the Ranger's bolts met their marks. Those had hurt more than he had expected. It was time to stop playing with his food.

From the other side of the canyon Sheila yelled, "This way guys! There's another opening!"

The kids made their way toward the Thief and unicorn. Diana reached them first and turned to encourage the rest.

"C'mon!"

The dragon reared up on his hind legs and forced his massive jaws open, snapping through the magically generated restraint. The golden-haired one, definitely the golden-haired one, needed to be dealt with. He inhaled deeply and blasted the Ranger with a huge fireball.

Eric managed to step in front of Hank and raised his Shield to deflect the danger. The dragon continued to pour out a gout of flame which forced the boys back toward the walls.

Bobby raised his Club again and brought it down on the canyon floor. This time the whole area shook and a few more boulders crashed into the bowl. The dragon stumbled but remained on its feet. Hank and Eric, unfortunately, lost their balance completely.

Sheila and Diana had backed into the narrow crevasse and were wildly gesturing for the others to join them.

"Mah-by!" Uni whinnied over the sounds of battle.

"I'm coming Uni!" Bobby yelled back.

The dragon raised one great paw and smashed it to the ground. Two can play this game, tiny human. A chasm opened up from the point of impact and ran toward Bobby.

"Bobby!" Sheila screamed.

"I got it!" Presto yelled and sprinted toward the Barbarian. "Boil and bubble; get us out of here on the double!"

The Magician reached Bobby and the two of them were enveloped in a purple bubble over the crevasse the dragon had created. It floated motionless for a moment. Then it popped.

"They're gone!" Sheila cried.

"I'm sure they're safe Sheila. Presto's Hat'll make sure they're OK," Diana tried to console her friend. "We're still in trouble though."

Hank had regained his feet and was pulling Eric up. The dragon turned from its loss of the Barbarian and the Magician. It narrowed its eyes at the Ranger and the Cavalier and took a deep breath. A solid ball of flame was expelled at them.

Once again, Eric got his Shield up to deflect the blast. The fireball ricocheted off the Shield and into the weakened cliff face above the boys. The stone rumbled and the whole wall of the canyon collapsed down onto Hank and Eric.

"Hank! Eric!" Sheila screamed from the narrow crack she, Diana and Uni were hiding in. She started to run toward the pile of rocks burying the Ranger and the Cavalier but the collapse of the wall had destabilised the whole of the bowl. Diana pulled her back into the crack as huge boulders began to fall.

The dragon pushed off the crumbling ground beneath him and into the air. Two of his prey had disappeared. The other five were buried under the rubble of the canyon. Perhaps it was time to find a new hunting ground.


	2. Chapter 2: Not Knowing

**Disclaimer: Still not mine, still not expecting anything other than entertainment.**

**Thanks to everybody who read ad reviewed the first chapter. It gives me the confidence to keep going.**

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**The City of Githyanki**

**Chapter 2: Not Knowing**

"Yahrg!" Bobby screamed. He ran forward brandishing his club. "Hey, where'd the dragon go?"

"I did it. I did it!" Presto crowed. "Did you see that Eric? Eric?"

Presto looked around. Instead of the rocky canyon walls he saw stunted trees and brush in a landscape dotted with boulders. He and Bobby were in the foothills of a small mountain range. "Where is everybody?" he asked.

"You left them back there with the dragon!" Bobby accused.

"I didn't mean to!" Presto squeaked.

"Well, bring us back!" the Barbarian ordered.

"I, uh. I, um. I… don't know how."

"Great," Bobby said slumping to the ground.

"Fear not, Barbarian," said a kindly voice. "Your friends are safe from the dragon."

"Dungeon Master!" the two boys exclaimed together.

"That's great, Dungeon Master," Bobby said. "Now we just have to find them."

"Yeah," Presto added. "I think the canyons are back that way." He pointed toward a flat area below them where the ground sank. There was a small cloud of dust snaking up in the distance.

"I'm afraid it won't be that simple, Magician," their guide interrupted.

"Oh no," Presto dropped his head into his hands.

"Where are they?" Bobby pressed.

"The Thief and the Acrobat risk being drawn into an ancient war."

"War!" Bobby cried. "Sheila doesn't want to be in any war!"

"Indeed she does not, Barbarian," Dungeon Master agreed, "However, her nature may lead her to it. Trust is a precious ally, my children. Given to the right people it can brighten the future. Trust the wrong people and misfortune could come to all."

"What about Hank and Eric?" Presto raised.

"And Uni," Bobby put in.

"The Unicorn is safe with the Thief and the Acrobat at present, "the little man answered. A look of sadness crossed his features and he paused before continuing, "The Cavalier and the Ranger are out of my sight at this time."

"You can't see them?" echoed Presto. "They're Ok, aren't they? Dungeon Master?"

"You must go to the city of Varesh," the Dungeon Master told them, ignoring the Magician's question. "There you must seek the Voice Without Words."

The old man turned to walk toward the trees. Presto and Bobby followed him.

"The Voice Without Words?" Bobby asked. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"But how do we do that, Dungeon Master?" Presto asked.

"And what about Hank and Eric?" Bobby added.

Dungeon Master walked behind a stunted tree. "The road to your friends is marked with good intentions," he told them. "Open your ears. They will not disappoint you."

The two boys split up to follow their guide around either side. All they managed to do was to bump into one another.

"He's gone," Presto sighed.

"Presto?"

"Yeah, Bobby?"

"Do you think Hank and Eric are OK?"

Presto turned to look at the Barbarian. To the Magician's eyes the boy suddenly looked every inch the child he was. Presto fervently wished that one of the others were with him. Any one of them had a better idea of how to deal with Bobby. "Except maybe Eric," he thought.

The Magician swallowed hard at the thought of his friend but continued to waver under the stare of the other bow. He wavered between telling him exactly what he was thinking - that it wasn't a good sign that the Dungeon Master couldn't see them - or trying to give a sense of hope. Hank was always much better at being positive. Presto sighed.

"I don't know, Bobby."

"Why couldn't the Dungeon Master see them?"

"I don't know, Bobby."

"They're not dead. Are they?"

"I already said! I don't know! They might be. I thought Dungeon Master could see pretty much anything!" Presto yelled. His voice had cracked through much of that and he didn't feel any better now that he had let his fears loose.

Bobby looked at him with wide eyes. For a brief moment Presto worried that the boy might start to cry.

"Well, they're not!" Bobby said forcefully. "Eric's a total doofus, but nothing gets by his Shield. Hank was keeping the dragon on his toes when we left; he's probably still doing the same thing now. It's probably just anther of Dungeon Master's riddles."

Presto nodded slowly, "That could be Bobby."

"Right!" Bobby agreed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"Don't worry about it, Presto. I know you're just worried about the others. I shoulda known not to ask so many questions."

"I guess we should focus on what we do know," Presto started. "Dungeon Master told us to go to Varesh to find this Voice Without Words. I bet he can help us find the others!"

Bobby immediately brightened up, "Yeah! And we'll be able to warn them about this war thing that DM was talking about."

"Right," Presto smiled. "The girls probably have a better idea of what happened to Hank and Eric too."

"Good thinking, Presto!" Bobby enthused. "So… Which way to Varesh?"

"Um," Presto floundered. "That way I'd guess." There was a dusty path leading up into the foothills.

"Let's go!" Bobby said brightly.

Together the two boys trudged up the path as the suns began to slip behind the mountains before them. Below them, a tall, robed figure emerged from the shadow of a boulder. He leaned against the rock and watched the boys wind their way out of sight. A bright bird flew down out of a small tree and landed beside him. It took a few, tentative hops toward the figure and glanced in the same direction. The two stood silently for a few moments then the figure lunged toward the bird. Suddenly nothing remained but an iridescent blue feather fluttering to the ground.


End file.
